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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26357830">Heart on Sleeve</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/queen_scribbles/pseuds/queen_scribbles'>queen_scribbles</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Stars Rewritten AU [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Pillars of Eternity</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>AU, F/M, Fix-It, Hidden Feelings, Mutual Pining, Pre-Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 06:35:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,619</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26357830</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/queen_scribbles/pseuds/queen_scribbles</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Adela's never been good at hiding her feelings, even less so where a certain Aedyran merchant is concerned.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Heodan/The Watcher (Pillars of Eternity)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Stars Rewritten AU [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1535102</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Heart on Sleeve</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Heodi reappeared to run away with a “rush” nonverbal prompt from tumblr. ;D</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The journey back from Stalwart to Caed Nua was long and chilly, but Adela barely noticed the sore feet and half-numb fingers in her focus to get home. She <em>did </em>notice the grins Sagani and Edér kept tossing each other when she urged the rest of them to <em>hurry up</em>, even if she pretended she didn’t. There’d been no news the whole time they were in the White March, and she couldn’t quite convince herself that was a<em> good </em>thing. She was near-skipping with eagerness (anxiety) when the stronghold’s gates came into view, and abandoned any pretense of keeping pace with her friends to dart for the main keep’s doors.</p><p>She hollered a greeting to the Steward in passing as she charged up the stairs and past the barracks on her way to the infirmary. <em>Please be alright, please be alright, please,<b> please</b> be alright... </em>The knot in her chest seems to constrict with every repetition.</p><p>Adela skidded to a halt in the infirmary doorway, heart hammering loud in her ears, gaze instinctively drawn to one place--</p><p>The bed was empty. Clumsily made and empty. Was that good or bad?</p><p>She glanced around the room until she spotted one of the healer’s assistants straightening shelves at the far end. She cleared her throat, mostly in a vain attempt to get her heart settled back where it belonged, and waited for the young elven man to turn her direction before gesturing toward the bed. “Where...?”</p><p>His eyes darted from her to the bed and back. “Oh, he’s, um-”</p><p>--<em>Please don’t say he died while I wasn’t even </em><b><em>here</em></b><em>, I’ll never </em><b>ever</b><em> forgive myself.</em> Her hands curled into nervous fists as he stuttered, nails digging into palms--</p><p>“-I believe he’s outside, behind, um, Brighthollow, my lady,” the elf(Vedric? She was pretty sure that was his name) finished, inclining his head.</p><p>Adela’s brows shot up and her heart lodged in her throat for an entirely different reason. “Wait, he<em> woke up</em>?!”</p><p>“Aye, my lady, just over a week ago. Did you not get Iana’s letter?” Vedric’s ears twitched as he frowned.</p><p>She shook her head, relieved grin already tugging the corners of her mouth. “So he’s alright?” she asked, voice shaking with the memory of blood and bone laid bare, shallow breathing and the grim caution there might be no recovery.</p><p>Vedric(gods, she hoped she was remembering that right) wrinkled his nose apologetically. “He<em> will be</em>, my lady. I’d hardly say he’s there yet.”</p><p>“No, right, right.” Adela bounced on the balls of her feet. “But he’s recovering?”</p><p>“Yes, my lady.” Vedric smiled. “Iana felt some fresh air would do him good today since it’s warmer than others have been recently.”</p><p>She nodded, bit her lip. “It does work wonders. Behind Brighthollow, you said?”</p><p>He inclined his head again. “Yes, my lady.”</p><p>Adela was gone before he’d finished the confirmation. </p><p>Behind Brighthollow was a good place, she mused as she scrambled down halls and stairs on her way back out. It was quiet, secluded, the hedge maze offered some protection from the wind, and last she’d checked some of the flowers were still holding out against the inevitable advance of winter, so it was sort-of pretty even now. One of her favorite places, right after the library.</p><p>She barreled out via one of the smaller back doors rather than the main entrance, eagerly wheeled toward Brighthollow, and couldn’t stop her heart pounding or her grin going wider when she caught sight of him.</p><p><em>Heodan.</em> His name stuck on the tangle of relief and joy and something else she couldn’t quite name all lumping in her throat. She swallowed hard as her feet pushed back into motion of their own accord, and tried again. “Heodan!”</p><p>It was enough warning for him to look up, a grin catching his lips when he saw her, before she reached him. Even with her enthusiasm seriously checked, her hug was still forceful enough to knock him from his seat.</p><p>She felt as much as heard him wince when they hit the ground and immediately felt guilty. “Sorry, I didn’t mean- I tried to-”</p><p>“Adi, it’s--” Heodan’s attempted dismissal cut off with a hiss of pain, his uninjured arm curling in against his ribs. “..<em>.Oww</em>.”</p><p>“I’m so,<b> <em>so</em> </b>sorry!” Adela said fervently, face hot enough she half expected her fur to singe off. She rested a tentative hand on his good shoulder, waited until he looked up at her. “I was trying to rein it in,” she mumbled, fighting the urge to brush his hair back from his face, or apologize again for how watery his eyes had gone. “I was just... really worried about you, a-and I’m glad you’re... that you didn’t...”</p><p>He managed a half-smile and reached up with his good hand to pat hers. “I know.”</p><p>She bit her lip and nodded, the unspoken fear that had knotted in her chest for the last two and a half weeks finally dissipating. “Let... let me help you get settled again.” Her head whipped back and forth. “Didn’t they have anyone with you? Just in case?”</p><p>“Yes, he just needed to step inside for a minute.“ The strain in Heodan’s voice had lessened considerably by the end of the sentence, but his jaw was still tight.</p><p>“Oh, well, I guess I can forgive him,” Adela commented dryly. “‘Specially considering the only real danger to you proved to be <em>me</em>.”</p><p>This smile was more full and genuine, not curtailed by pain, and the two of them set about getting him seated once more on the bench.  Adela took a moment to really look at him as he gingerly shifted to get comfortable.</p><p>He was still pale, enough that the stubble along his jaw and the dark circles under his eyes stood out in stark relief, but not nearly as pale as he had been that first night coming back from Searing Falls. Bandages were still obvious under his shirt, of course, creeping up the side of his neck, and she did her best to shove away the memory of the ugly wounds they covered. (Aloth and Kana had tried to distract her, but she’d still <em><b>seen</b></em>.) The broken collarbone was braced and that arm immobilized, bound tight as the healers dared go with broken ribs in the picture. It was going to take months--at least--to heal, and his adventuring days were very likely done(she wondered if he’d miss them; it wasn’t like that had been his<em> plan</em> when he came out here). But he was<em> alive </em>and <em>recoverin</em>g, and that was what truly mattered.</p><p>She hadn’t lost him.</p><p>Her observations complete, Adela perched herself next to Heodan--who had clearly noticed what she was doing and was waiting patiently for her to finish--her legs swinging in the empty space under the bench. “You picked a good time to wake up,” she said lightly, teasing to hide the other emotions swirling in her chest.</p><p>Heodan looked over at her and arched a brow. “Did I?”</p><p>“They’re making good headway on the craft hall,” she said, smiling impishly, which faded a second later. “Assuming you’re still planning to run that? Once it’s set up and you’re... better?”</p><p>“Of course,” he smiled in return. “That’s what we agreed, and I’d hate to disappoint.”</p><p>Adela’s ears dipped back and a ripple ran through her fur. “First off, you’d have to do a lot worse than that to disappoint me. And<em> I’d </em>hate to hold you to an arrangement you don’t want anymore.”</p><p>Heodan’s smile widened and the fingers on his good hand picked at his thumb.  “Oh, I still want to do it.” he assured her.</p><p>“Good... Good to know,” she nodded, playing with her braid. They lapsed into silence for several long moments before she broke it again. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here.”</p><p>“Adi, why the blazes would you be sorry for that?” Heodan asked, brow furrowing in confusion. “From what I understand, you didn’t have much choice, and were staving off a major catastrophe.”</p><p>“Well, I didn’t, and I was,” she conceded, huffing bangs out of her eyes. <em>Almost drowned in the process, but you don’t need to know that part just yet.</em> She looked up at him. “But I’d said I wasn’t going anywhere, and we’ve been through a lot together, and, I dunno, I wanted to be here for you for this, too.”</p><p>Heodan smiled and gave a one-shoulder shrug. “You’re here now.”</p><p>Adela met his gaze and grinned. “True. I am.” She left unspoken that she had no intention of leaving any time soon, either. She didn’t trust her voice to stay steady, and besides, saying it out loud would almost guarantee the universe found a way to make a liar of her.</p><p>But she thought it. She thought it as she watched him fidget with the sling and bandages holding his arm still, as she fought off the urge to slip her hand in his and hold it tight, as he pulled the deepest breath he could, let it out, and asked her, “So what <em>were</em> you doing, exactly?”</p><p>“Saving the world,” she replied innocently, toying with her necklace to help tamp down the urge to hold his hand, zipping the ivory elephant back and forth on its cord.</p><p>Heodan chuckled. “I figured that much. <em>Details</em>, Adi. What was involved?”</p><p>She spent the next hour answering that question, in a rarely slowing stream of chatter that was vintage Adela Tecali and still somehow skipped most of the more perilous bits. </p><p>She wouldn’t want to make him worry. Somehow she knew he still<em> would</em>, but she could<em> try </em>to protect him from that. It was the least she could do.</p>
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